


Taking A Break

by Ksci_janitor



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Cigarettes, Fluff, M/M, Pen pal mentions, Sneaking Around
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 17:43:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15690264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ksci_janitor/pseuds/Ksci_janitor
Summary: Newt wants to know where Hermann's going for his breaks. Naturally he follows him one day...





	Taking A Break

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at this sort of thing so please leave a comment or suggestion!

Newt noticed Hermann taking two very exact breaks during the workday that he’d previously never taken before. One in the morning, usually around 10 and the other in the afternoon, around 4. Newt had known Hermann to take nearly no breaks in the last couple of years aside for meals - hell, he’d had to almost throw him out of the lab on more than one occasion because it looked like Hermann was really going to do equations until 4am. He hadn’t initially cared that Hermann seemed to be taking care of himself for once but he was curious where the hell he was going on these breaks. Newt tried to ask once. Just once.

“Hey, so where you are going?”

“None of your bloody business.”

“Ooookay then, see ya dude.” 

Alright, he wasn’t going to press it too hard, but he did have to know. Newt finally decided to follow Hermann a few weeks into this new behavior. As Newt hid behind another discarded piece of jaeger equipment following Hermann across the Shatterdome, he wondered what he was going to find. What if Hermann was meeting up with someone? A friend he somehow didn’t know about? A secret boyfriend? Newt squirmed at that idea, because, well, he just didn’t know okay? God, Newt thought as he hid behind a fuel barrel, following Hermann shouldn’t be making him this nervous. Hermann was taking a strange route through the Shatterdome to somewhere Newt really hadn’t been to before and was surprised Hermann even found by himself. Hermann finally stopped at the end of a empty hallway and opened a door to the outside. Newt peered around the corner and caught a glimpse of the ocean before the door closed. He waited around for half minute before going and opening the door.

“Heeeeey, crazy to find you here!” Newt tried and failed to look surprised to find Hermann there. Hermann was leaning against a railing that gave a spectacular view of the ocean. Hermann jumped at the noise and turned around to reveal he was smoking a cigarette and clutching a letter.

“What are you doing here?! How did you - did you follow me here?” Hermann dropped his cigarette in surprise over the railing. “Bloody hell, Newton.” He shoved the letter haphazardly back into his coat. Newt saddled up next to him trying to look as nonchalant as possible.

“Not a bad place for a smoke break. Also, you smoke? That’s so punk dude.” 

Hermann scoffed and looked anywhere but at Newt. “I’m so glad you approve Newton, now could you please leave me be. This is the only time of the day where I don’t have to fear tripping over kaiju viscera.” He had taken out another cigarette and was attempting to light it despite the wind.

“Dude, you still use matches? Here, hold on.” Newt pulled out a zippo lighter from his pocket and wrapped his hand around the end of the cigarette. Hermann sucked on the cigarette a few times before getting the light. Newt suppressed a shiver when his hand lightly brushed against Herman’s while he held the cigarette in place. Hermann gave Newt a curious look after taking a drag.

“Do you always carry a lighter?” Hermann asked.

“Well, this lighter at least. It was my first boyfriend’s lighter.” Newt watched for Hermann’s reaction for a second before adding, “He was total jerk though. Which is why I stole his fancy zippo.” 

Hermann exhaled after a particularly long drag. “So do you always steal something from the people you date?”

“No,” Newt said, “just the ones I loved.” Hermann did nothing to hide his rolled eyes. “What!? What’s that look? That was entirely too sappy, wasn’t it? Fuck you dude.” Newt turned away to glare at the ocean. He felt his cheeks burning with that admission though. Why did he bother telling Hermann anything?

“Sappy, yes, but strangely poetic.” Hermann said, trying to sound a bit kinder. “They took a piece of you so why not take a piece of them. Very high school of you, Newton.” 

Newt looked back at Hermann who gave him an amused look. 

“So what were you reading, Hermann?”

Hermann amusement broke as he began to stammer and look around wildly, “What- what are you talking about? I was just enjoying a smoke-”

“Oh my god, I KNOW you have a letter on you dude, you didn’t hide it very well when I busted you out here. Are you corresponding with someone like we used to or are you still getting student loan letters?”

Now Hermann’s cheeks are the one’s burning and Newt has the a-ha moment. 

“That was one of ours, wasn’t it?! Holy shit, you saved them? You saved them and read them out here?”

“What I do on my break is none of your concern and is exactly why I took the pains to find someplace as far away from the lab as possible.” Hermann looked like he wanted to throw himself over the railing.

“Oh come on Hermann, let me see it! I bet I could do a great live reading.” Newt tried to shove his hands into Hermann’s giant overcoat only to get swatted immediately. “Oooowww come on!”  
Hermann growled, “Patience is a virtue. When I want a live reenactment of your comic strips I’ll gladly let you know.”

“Oh god, I forgot I sent you those. I should totally collect those into a zine or something.” Newt smiled and looked out into the ocean. It was breezy and sunny - it really was a great spot to take a break from being in a chaotic, gross lab all day. On a day when there wasn’t any horrific kaiju threatening to burst from the undersea depths, the ocean was nice to gaze at.

“I will say, you got rather good at drawing your thesis advisor, horns and all.”

Newt laughed. “Hey, that guy was dick and a fucking tyrant. He was just jealous I already had three more Ph.D’s than him at that point.” 

“Absolutely nothing to do with your inate inability to turn reports in on time?” Hermann added.

“Hey, that didn’t come until later, it’s easier to get your work done on time when you’re not one of two people in an entire science division! Uh, hey, could I get one of those?” Newt motioned to Hermann’s cigarette. Hermann handed one over to a grateful looking Newt. 

Hermann watched as Newt lit his cigarette.“I didn’t know you smoked either.”

Newt exhaled, “Not really, I’m just a dirty casual smoker. I only smoke at parties when all the cool kids are outside hanging out. So, uh, what’s up with the smoke breaks? You never used to take them.”

Hermann looked out into the ocean for a few seconds before saying, “Well, the end of the world never seemed to be an event that would actually happen in my lifetime until now. What’s your health really worth in a world that could be destroyed at any second.”

Newt felt a deep pang in his chest. What was Hermann even saying? He wanted to give a him hug so badly but knew that was how to put an immediate end to this surprisingly polite conversation they were having for once. He decided on a shoulder pat. He let his hand linger on Hermann’s shoulder for a few extra seconds before pulling away and sighing.

“Hermann, even if shit hits the fan in this fucked up situation, you should definitely still worry about yourself. At least for me, I mean, I don’t wanna come out of this only to find out I have cancer or something and die before I get to revel in saving the world which is something we both gotta stick around for.” Hermann gave Newt the smallest of smiles. Newt beamed back, glad that he didn't have to hide how happy he was at that moment. “You know we’re gonna do it one day.”

Hermann finished his cigarette. “I guess I better take care of myself then.” Hermann turned from the railing and started towards the door. “I’ll see you back in the lab?”

Newt smiled. “Yeah, see ya dude.” Hermann shut the door just as Newt turned back around and stubbed out his cigarette. “Well, I don’t miss the taste of those, that’s for sure.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! :3 My tumblr is k-sci-janitor if you want to follow!


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